They call it development money, but it feels more like a subsidy for shaping what people are allowed to hear. When one government funds another country’s media machine, you’re not looking at journalism anymore.
USAID is BBC Media Action’s single biggest donor, other than the British government itself. BBC Media Action is the BBC’s giant pool of free money to pay hundreds of other media outlets to produce slop and amplify stories aligned with the BBC. https://t.co/dHlsBqGgof pic.twitter.com/hh1DGxXmHG
— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) November 13, 2025
So, through USAID, BBC gets to control both sides of the information space: turning the volume knob up on its own propaganda by paying a global network of private media orgs to amplify its own messaging, & turning the volume knob down on any opposing media using censorship orgs. pic.twitter.com/jqXrNVriLi
— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) November 13, 2025
That is sick . pic.twitter.com/yu8IvlPSAq
— Styx Man (@StyxMan1999) November 13, 2025
BBC statement on it:
A free press is essential to freedom and democracy – and 75% of countries around the world do not have a free press. BBC Media Action supports local media around the world to deliver trusted information to people most in need.
Like many international development organisations, BBC Media Action has been affected by the temporary pause in US government funding, which amounts to about 8% of our income in 2023-24. We’re doing everything we can to minimise the impact on our partners and the people we serve.
As the BBC’s international charity, we are completely separate from BBC News, and wholly reliant on our donors and supporters to carry out our work.